Review: Etude House Drawing Eye Brow Pencil

I finally bought something for my eyebrows!! I feel so proud of myself. :D Doing eyebrows have been a nightmare in the past because I simply didn't know how to go about doing it. More often than not, I would end up looking like a complete eyebrow amateur, and I would remove everything that I had just applied. 

However, I realise that having well-maintained and properly managed eyebrows creates a huge difference on how you look. You look more polished even without heavy makeup. Also, good eyebrows make your face look more defined in terms of your features! 

Hence, I finally went ahead and bought myself an eyebrow product. I didn't want to spend much money on a product that I normally don't use, so I was browsing through Qoo10 for a cheap one. I decided on the Etude House Drawing Eye Brow Pencil (a lot of Asian beauty bloggers raved and recommended this product!). It was S$3.40 (S$5.30 with Korean normal mail), and that's an amazing price! 

Purchase yours here: http://list.qoo10.sg/gmkt.inc/Goods/Goods.aspx?goodscode=407646448 

Packaging: Simple packaging. Not trying too hard at all. Sometimes, a simple but functional packaging is all you need to have to attract customers. It's a good size because it fits into most makeup bags. Also, Etude House included a spoolie brush at the other end of the pencil, which is amazing because then you can tame stray hairs after applying the pencil to make your brows look much neater.

I bought it in 03 Brown, since my hair is permanently brown/red anyway. Black will be too harsh. 

Pencil shape: The Etude House Drawing Eye Brow Pencil has a great pencil shape. It's designed in the above 3D triangle shape to facilitate application! So you can use the sharp ends to create the well-defined "borders" first, and then use the flat areas (that fit perfectly on your brows. GENIUS.) to fill in the empty areas. 

My only complain is how little product I received!! The above photo shows you how much product you are getting. I couldn't unscrew further, that's all you get!! PFFT!!

Pigmentation: The thing with eyebrow pencils is, you cannot have products that are too pigmented because that makes the life of newbies highly tormenting. A great eyebrow pencil will have a slight pigment on first application, and it will buildable on consecutive applications. The Etude House Drawing Eye Brow Pencil does just that, and so I am a happy girl.

I tried to be artsy and drew an eyebrow on my hand. Turned out to be quite natural-looking hor? :D

Longevity: Lasted me all day. I had no problems with this melting away or smudging. I forgot that I had eyebrow pencil on and I scratched my brows, but haha the product stayed put, so yay to that!

A photo of me after applying the  Etude House Drawing Eye Brow Pencil for the first time. I like it! :) 

Will I buy it again? Obviously. Since the Etude House Drawing Eye Brow Pencil contained so little product. =_= It's a good product nevertheless so I will definitely get the refills.

HAVE AN AMAZING CHINESE NEW YEAR GUYS! :)) Thanks for reading!

[The Silver Yarn Project] - celebrate the stories of your seniors!

My grandparents are my inspiration in life. Without them, I don't think I'll be able to survive the tumultuous childhood that I sadly suffered from. 

To cut the long story short, they were the ones who raised me up since I was 1.5 years old till I was about 8. My mom had to work in Batam/Singapore (can't really remember), and so I saw very little of her during those 6.5 years. My grandparents were like my parents back then, and it's sad that I didn't know how to appreciate them when I was young. 

After moving to Singapore, I realised how much I miss living with my grandparents, how much I miss watching dramas with grandmother (HUAN ZHU GE GE!) and how much I miss eating her home-cooked food. 

Both my grandparents have birthdays that fall on the same date! My grandmother always says that it's good because she didn't need to eat so much fattening cakes then. HAHA. 

My grandmother is a social butterfly. She has so many friends and she frequently travels with them. I remember one time when we were going to Kuching from Pontianak by car (8-hour drive), I was sitting at the back of the car and could not sleep at all because my grandmother and her friends were gossiping and joking throughout the journey. :D

Also, my grandmother is really self-conscious about her hair. She hates white hair and so she dyes it frequently. Also, she still makes sure she is properly dolled up before going out of the house. I guess that's where my makeup interest came from?

My grandmother talking to one of her close friends during her birthday party. 

My grandfather, on the other hand, is obsessed with taking photos and obsessed with all kinds of camera models. We used to have so many photo albums because he kept taking photos. Now, my grandfather is quite frail, so he doesn't take so many photographs anymore, but when there's a special occasion, his interest will still ignite! During his birthday party, he insisted that he brought his camera so that he could take photos of others enjoying his birthday party. :D

My grandfather doing what he loves to do. 

Family portrait! Not the full strength though...

I truly love my grandparents very much, but I don't normally express it to them. It's a pity because it'll certainly make their day if I pay more attention, but I still can't break out of this shell!

Hence, I particularly love the idea that The Silver Yarn Project is bringing across. The purpose is simple - celebrate the stories of seniors!

You don't need to give them extravagant gifts; sometimes a listening ear is what is most precious.

The Silver Yarn Project aims to:

"bridge the communication divide between the young and the old and bring them closer"

which in my opinion, is a highly relevant area. Grandparents (or other seniors) are often neglected by the younger ones and many of us take them for granted. Also, many love their seniors, but are not comfortable with showing their love (ME!). It is time we take time to think about how we can show to the world how amazing the seniors we know are! 

The Silver Yarn Project booth provides opportunities for anyone to write down the stories of their seniors. While I was writing my grandmother's story, I realised I knew little about her. It saddens me, but this opportunity definitely encourages me to listen to my grandmother more!

Booth visitors were also given goodie bags!!

I especially like the stickers. And the angpows are very handy too (of course not for me lah! HAHA). 

Here are some of the stories that I read! Some were really quite hilarious! :)

HAHAHAHAHA FEISTY GRANNY! SO CUTE! 

And my grandmother's story! :D

Huiling (perfect girlfriend 101 :D) mending the booth

NOW, HERE'S HOW YOU CAN PARTICIPATE IN TELLING THE WORLD HOW AMAZING YOUR SENIORS ARE!! 

The Silver Yarn Project team is holding an Instagram contest (#silveryarn), and the winning photo will win a Nikon Coolpix P310! 

Details are below (or you can visit their facebok page: http://www.facebook.com/TheSilverYarnProject) 

Alternatively, you can watch this video!!

The Silver Yarn Project is proudly brought to you by 4 NTU WKWSCI final-year undergraduates - Alan, Sarah, Nicholas and Regina! 

I love their idea, and I always tell people how I love the name "Silver Yarn". :D 

Do show them support and most importantly, show your grandparents (or other seniors) some love! 

Goofy photo of Alan, Sarah, Nicholas and Regina. HAHA ni men very cute!

Sarah, Regina, Alan and Nicholas at The Silver Yarn Project booth! (Photo by Ivan Tan)

I can't wait to go back to Indo next week so I can take photos of my grandparents! :))

New Foundation Routine: Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser + Benefit That Gal Brightening Face Primer

I'm so excited to write this post because the mentioned products have worked so well for me! It's a new foundation routine, and I can't wait to share it with you guys!

I used to slap a thick layer of liquid foundation in the past, but I don't think my skin can take on a daily basis anymore. I even shun BB Creams now because of the amount of wax they use inside! I read some post on the alleged over-usage of wax, but I'm not very sure of the truth in it. BB Creams just don't work on my skin lah, they break me out. :( 

Hence, I turn to tinted moisturisers! I grabbed a Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser sample when I stopped by its counter and it is BEYOND amazing. I love it so so so so very much! I'm now highly inclined to buy the oil-free formula one! The full-sized product cost S$68 but IT WILL BE AMAZING, so I'm gonna get it soon! 

I coupled the Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser with Benefit's That Gal Brightening Face Primer, and the final look was AW-YEAH! 

Naturally, I have to use a concealer to cover up my acne scars, but I have been using the same one for months, so I'm skipping it out of this post! 

PHOTOS TIME. 

Laura Mercier's Tinted Moisturiser is extremely lightweight, but that does not mean that it has no coverage. Surprisingly, it provides a light-medium coverage (depending on how many layers you apply). Also, the tinted moisturiser does not leave a tacky feeling on your skin. The most important thing is there's no unnecessary floral fragrance!

Benefit's That Gal is a really gorgeous face primer. It applies beautifully and does not make your skin look like a 1000-watt lightbulb. I don't know how Benefit does its formulation, but it seems like the appropriate places are mattified, while the raised places (nose bridge, upper cheek bones, etc) are highlighted. Either the product is created by a genius, or I am a genius during application. :P

I usually will mix the two products together on my fingertips and then apply it straight on my face. No brush whatsoever, because I don't like to apply liquid stuff using a brush (my logic is, if you use a foundation brush, you have to wash it right after using if not it's eeky and it's a bacteria heaven, so I'd rather not waste my time while I'm rushing). Using your fingers actually works a little bit better because your body temperature will warm the products ever so slightly - helps with blending!

Initially, the products will seem too watery.  But after a few massage circles, everything's absorbed and fabulous!

LIKE THIS! Don't see the difference yet right? Let me compare it with my bare hands. 

After application

Above is an AFTER photo, and below is a BEFORE photo.

Notice how there's a slight shine after application, and the red areas are not as obvious? AMAZING.

Before application

The plan is, I shall be an amazing granddaughter, niece, cousin, grandniece in Indonesia so I can collect more angbaos, and so I can pay my debts and BUY THE LAURA MERCIER TINTED MOISTURISER!!

:D

How to fake radiance! (Using benefit, elf and stila products)

This was a requested post from one of my readers. I'm deeply sorry to that reader because this post has been delayed for TOO LONG. Laziness took over, but something snapped inside me and I decided to be a better beauty blogger! 

Foundation routine is a must for anyone who has blemishes or acne scars (MEMEME!), but just relying on a good foundation routine will not give you a natural finish. Sometimes, you look too cakey or too made up. Some people may suggest using a foundation that gives you a dewy finish! Yes, I agree it looks good when you apply it, but after a period of time (especially if you have combination to oily skin), you will look like you just dipped your face on a plate full of oil. NOT GLAM. 

For those with dry skin, it's good news because a dewy-finish foundation will last longer on you. So for those with combination-oily skin, what do you do? Especially in a country like Singapore that has such blasted weather? 

My suggestion is to scrimp on your foundation routine. Notice I said scrimp, and not scrap. What I do is that instead of a liquid foundation, I use a tinted moisturiser. Then I apply concealer on needed areas. Lastly, instead of using a sponge to apply powder, I use a big fluffy brush. This way, you will not look cakey, but you will still have the matte look! 

Then the question becomes how do you not look DEATHLY? This post will explain to you how you can fake radiance (and not look like a ghost. yikes.). 

First, here are the products that I'm going to use:

• benefit SUGARlicious set (I will be using bene tint, high beam and sugarbomb blush)
• stila illuminating finishing powder in gold
• elf healthy glow bronzing powder in sun kissed
• elf blush brush
• elf complexion brush

Pardon my overused elf bronzer. It's the best all-over bronzer that I have used so far, and it's so cheap!! Time for me to get my second piece!

So this is me with my "scrimped" foundation routine. I just look....pale. Not good. ALSO, pardon the bed hair! :D

First up! benefit's bene tint!

Using the applicator, dab 3 dots on your cheek area (or wherever you normally put your blusher on). The trick with bene tint is you CANNOT dab on both cheeks and then start to blend. This product dries quite quickly, so if you dab on both cheeks first before blending, the dots on the first cheek that you dab on will start to dry, and when you blend, you get ugly streaky red spots.

Hence, you should dab, dab, dab on one cheek, blend, dab some more if you want a redder tint, blend again, and then proceed to the other cheek and repeat.

To highlight, I'm using benefit's high beam as a base.

I apply it on the upper cheek area, the nose bridge and the tip of the Cupid's bow area. I use the high beam first before a powder highlighter because I want my highlighting work to stay. If you solely use a powder highlighting, you will notice that what you apply will disappear very quickly, and you will need to touch up more often.

Blusher time - benefit's sugarbomb!

Using my elf blush brush, smile and brush it over the apples of your cheek. It sounds very cliche - "the apples of your cheek" - but it really makes sense!

Moving on to bronzing activity (sounds so mafia, haha), I'm using my elf blush brush and elf bronzing powder first.

Apply it to the same area as to where you applied the blusher. Yes it sounds very silly, why apply blusher then cover it with bronzer? But that's exactly what I'm doing! The thing is I'm not actually covering up the blusher. Instead, I'm adding bronze hues to the originally reddish and pinkish tint. The slight shimmer from the bronzer will also make my cheeks look more dewy (hence faking the dewy-finish foundation look).

Now, using my elf complexion brush (or any bigger face brush) and the same bronzer ...

I'm going to apply it to the hollow areas under my cheekbone. Yes, you see my weird face muscles, that's how you find your hollow areas.

When applying bronzer here, you have to be really careful and have a light hand. What I normally do is, I load my brush with the bronzer, and then I tap it against my palm to get rid of excess product. Then I apply it gently and swiftly down the cheekbone line. The darkest part should be the area nearest to your ears, and the gradually lighter, creating a gradient effect down the line.

I forgot to take a photo of my next step, but usually I use whatever's left on the brush and apply it on my temple (side of the head, slightly above your eyes) area. People say it's slimming. I don't know if it even makes a difference, but it's my habit to do that. haha.

Back to the elf blush brush, I'm now applying a powder highlighter (stila illuminating finishing powder).

Apply it to the upper cheek area, just below your eyes.

And also on your nose bridge! If you want further contouring, you can use an eyeshadow smudge brush, dip it on some bronzer, and then apply it to the two areas next to the nose bridge. This way, you can create the illusion of a sharper nose without the plastic surgery. However, it's really a hassle and you have no time to do that in the morning, especially when you are in a rush!!

WE ARE DONE! :) The final product is you will look more radiant, without looking too made up and too fake!

Nah, give you all a comparison! :)

I know, I know. I need to do something about my eyebrows AGAIN. I will go trim it soon!

I hope this post has been useful! Now all of you can look radiant without spending too much time or without looking too made up! I think the above procedures took me less than 5 minutes. YAY! :)